Three tribal nations have decided to take steps to gain a larger foothold in Oklahoma’s betting industry, despite delays by state legislators to expand the regulated market.
Tribal leaders from the Eastern Shawnee Tribe, the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes have “signed on to an app designed to let players bet on head-to-head matchups of athletes, with outcomes determined by on-field performances.”
Both the app’s developers and tribal leaders affirm the mobile game meets all Class II gaming requirements. However, federal regulators have not commented on the mobile game in question.
Tribal treasurer Justin Barrett expressed the importance of making sure developments ahead of expansion meet all necessary requirements.
“It’s important to tribes to pay attention to Class II development,” he said, “because that’s our sovereignty, really.”
Other tribal betting apps could follow if this one becomes successful. The development and agreements were forged due to delays with lawmakers around legal gambling expansion.
Talks with state officials to expand Oklahoma gambling have recently stalled. However, this is not a new pattern for the area.
The state experienced deadlock regarding gambling during the 1990s, which led the local tribes to create a revolutionized bingo market. This led to Vegas-style casinos which are in operation throughout the state today.
State Governor Kevin Stitt has recently pushed for amending the state-tribal compact currently in place, stating it is “too low for Oklahoma.”
During the last year, the state has received $200m in exclusivity fees and close to $16.6m within the last month.
Under the current deal, bingo-based games established outside of the agreement do not rely on sign-offs from the state.
A spokeswoman for the Governor declined to comment on apps in development and said that Stitt “hadn’t been made aware of any of the tribes’ plans.”
